Many reasons can cause this type of BSODs. It could be anything, such as physical memory problems, corrupted Windows registry entries, viruses & malware, or incompatible apps. Bad Pool Header BSOD error may appear on your Windows computer temporarily and will disappear after rebooting. However, in some cases, the issue is too serious, and Windows can’t recover itself.

For that reason, your computer will be stuck in a loop of the blue screen of death error. Therefore, you can’t access your computer unless the BSOD is resolved.

How To Fix Bad Pool Header BSOD Error In Windows 10

Like many other Windows BSODs, a Bad Pool Header BSOD could be caused by hardware failure or software issues. Typically, Windows will automatically repair itself from BSODs when rebooting unless the problem is too serious.

In that case, you have to diagnose and resolve the problem yourself. In this guide, I’m going to share with you a few methods you can use to figure out why this type of BSOD occurs on your Windows computer, as well as how to resolve Bad Pool Header BSOD error.

What Does Bad Pool Header Mean?

This error indicates that the Pool Header in Windows is corrupted and couldn’t work properly. It can be either triggered when using an application that isn’t compatible with your Windows or by corrupted system files.

Anyway, many causes can lead to this serious problem. Therefore, you’ll need to figure it out as soon as possible to resolve this BSOD.

Pool is not the pool where you can jump in and swim. Its full name is “memory pool“, which is used to allocate and manage both physical and virtual memory on your computer.

Common Reasons That Can Cause Bad Pool Header BSOD Error

As I said above, there are many reasons that can cause this type of BSOD. However, here are some common causes that often lead to Bad Pool Header error:

Corrupted Windows system files.

Damaged or incompatible Windows drivers.

Bad RAM or HDD/SSD.

Damaged Windows Registry entries.

Viruses & Malware.

Anti-virus & anti-malware programs.

To help you figure out the cause faster, you can download WhoCrashed or BlueScreenView and install them on your Windows PC to analyze and find the reason.

Both are free utilities that help to scan for MINIDUMP files and analyze them and show you the report. Based on the report, you will know where the error comes from and which system file or Windows driver causes it.

If you are unable to access your computer in regular mode, I would recommend booting your Windows into Safe Mode and do all the steps there. Don’t know how to do it? Here are a few methods you can use to boot into Windows 10 Safe Mode.

Methods You Can Use To Fix Bad Pool Header BSOD Error In Windows 10

Note: These methods are not only used for fixing this type of BSOD error in Windows 10 but also can be used to resolve the same problem on your Windows 7 and Windows 8, 8.1 PCs. Therefore, if you are encountering Bad Pool Header error on your computer that doesn’t run Windows 10, don’t hesitate to use these methods to resolve it.

Tip: Before using any methods below, I would suggest restarting your computer to let it recover automatically. Sometimes, if the issue isn’t serious, such as an interruption when allocating memory, then your Windows can automatically repair and recover itself. Therefore, you don’t need to do anything, just reboot.

1. Disable Windows Indexing Service To Fix Bad Pool Header BSOD

According to several reports from Microsoft Community users, after disabling Windows Indexing service, this type of BSOD no longer appears on their computer.

Tip: You can also access Windows Services by navigating to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services.

In the Windows Services application, search for Windows Search on the list of all Windows services, then right-click on it and choose the Properties option.

In the next step, select “Disabled” from the Startup type drop-down list, then click on the “OK” button.

Reboot your Windows PC to see whether the Bad Pool Header BSOD is gone or has persisted. If it’s still there, use the other methods below.

2. Disable Fast Startup In Windows 10

By default, the Fast Startup option will be enabled, and in several cases, causes this type of BSOD.

To turn off the Fast Startup option, press Windows + X and then choose Power Options from the pop-up menu.

In the Power Options window, select the “Choose what the power button does” option from the left sidebar.

In the next step, click on the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option. Then uncheck the “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” box, click on the “Save changes” button and restart your computer to see if the issue persists.

Can’t find “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” option? Read this article to learn more about Fast Startup and how to show this option.

Sometimes, when you connect a new external device or hardware, and it’s not fully compatible with your Windows computer, it may create a Bad Pool Header BSOD error.

To test, you can temporarily disconnect all connected external devices that you have plugged into your computer, except your keyboard and mouse. Then, reboot your computer to see if the error persists.

If this BSOD is gone, probably one of those external devices is the cause. To find out, you can connect them back one by one until you find it.

4. Undo Recent Changes On Your Windows Computer

If you have recently installed a new program on your Windows PC and Bad Pool Header occurs, then you should uninstall it. That program may conflict with other installed apps on your computer and lead to this type of BSOD.

To uninstall apps in Windows 10, navigate to Settings -> System -> Apps and features.

Search for the application that you have recently installed, then select it and click on the “Uninstall” button.

Tip: In some cases, third-party antivirus programs can cause this type of BSOD. Therefore, you can temporarily turn off your third-party antivirus and reboot the computer to see if the issue persists. If this move helped to correct the problem, you should consider removing that antivirus software from your computer and search for a replacement.

5. Scan And Repair Corrupted Windows System Files

A damaged Windows system file is also the reason that leads to a Bad Pool Header BSOD. To fix this BSOD error, you can perform the SFC command to scan for corrupted files on your computer and repair them automatically.

To get started, press Windows + X, then press A and choose Yes to launch the Command Prompt application with the administrator account.

In the Command Prompt window, execute the following command to scan all the Windows system files and repair them automatically if any corruption is found.

SFC /scannow

This process may take a while to complete. Please don’t restart or shutdown your computer while the process is working.

6. Update Or Reinstall Windows Drivers

As I recommended above, you can use BlueScreenView or WhoCrashed tool to figure out the cause of a Bad Pool Header error. That said, if one of Windows drivers caused it, the tool would show you the name of the driver with the xxx.sys form.

It’s the file name of the Windows driver, and you can easily find out which hardware it belongs to by pasting it into the www.carrona.org website. It’s a directory and will tell you the device name based on the .sys file.

After knowing the driver that caused the Bad Pool Header BSOD error, you can uninstall it and then download the latest version of it from the manufacturer’s website and install it on your Windows PC.

If you are using Windows 10, you only need to uninstall the driver, reboot the computer and then connect to the Internet. Your Windows OS will automatically scan for missing drivers, download & install them automatically to help you.

7. Restore Your Windows PC Back To Previous Working Point

If you have tried all the methods mentioned above but the Bad Pool Header BSOD error persists, I would recommend using the Windows System Restore feature to roll back your computer to a selected previous working point.

Technically, it’s a lightweight backup system, which helps to backup system files and creates points that allows users to roll back the computer to a specific point, in case something goes wrong, like this situation.

To learn more about Windows System Restore, as well as how to use it, read this article. Besides, you can reset your Windows PC to fix Bad Pool Header error as well. You can also use Recovery driver to repair your computer and help you get rid of this annoying error is also a good option.

I hope this article can help you to resolve Bad Pool Header BSOD error on your Windows 10 computer, as well as other versions of Windows, including Windows 7 and Windows 8, 8.1.

In case of questions or you need further assistance, don’t hesitate to post your comment below. I will try to response as quick as I read it. To speed up the process, please describe specifically the error you are encountering as much as possible.